Tuesday, April 4, 2017

The Magnifiers - For the People

The
Dombrowskis are an unusual family. Their band, The Magnifiers, includes four
siblings varying in ages from seventeen to ten years old. Some might mistake
them for a novelty act, but the band’s 2014 debut Report Card and this powerful
follow up For the People attest to their penchant for ear catching,
energy-packed punk rock numbers that have immense musical credibility while
also demonstrating a playfulness that seems quite befitting of their age while
never seeming sophomoric or straining for effect. For the People is musically
solid, but its entertainment value can’t be underestimated and each of the EP’s
four songs burns bright with their willingness to give themselves over to the
moment in an effort to thrill and bring smiles to listener’s faces. Punk rock
music, in virtually any form, is typically viewed as music of the moment, but
The Magnifiers are writing very durable songs at a young age showing they are
powerful budding songwriters as well as obviously gifted musicians.

Their
songwriting chops are on full display with the first song. “Mostly Harmless”
has a sly, mischievous sense of humor, but the band never relies too heavily on
lyrical hilarity to win over potential fans. Instead, they evidence a broad
based, well rounded approach that incorporates fantastic musicality, great song
construction, and on point lyrics into an overarching package. The Magnifiers
never overstress their comedic qualities – they just don’t take themselves half
as seriously as many punk rock acts do, their screaming angst has much more to
do with youthful brashness than genuine rage, and they keep their touch light.
This changes somewhat on the EP’s second track “TV Hat”. There are glimmers of
a growing disdain for the world’s flaws, however, creeping through in the
lyric, vocal, and Elliot Dombrowski’s sizzling lead guitar, but there’s a
smattering of the same humor distinguishing the first track. Much like “Mostly
Harmless”, “TV Hat” is crafted for maximum effect and doesn’t waste listener’s
attention with histrionics and pale imitation. It is vibrant and has its own
distinct personality.

For
the People hits its peak with the song “Anarchy Sucks”. This is pure punk
music, expertly executed, and full of energetic humor. It’s quite clever to write
a punk song decrying one of the genre’s central tropes, but The Magnifiers
never back down and make it work with great aplomb. Vocalist Eden Dombrowski
proves her mettle again with a convincing singing performance that never
strains credibility – it will be quite interesting to hear how she develops
over the course of future releases. The EP’s last song, “Transfiguration”, is a
powerful acoustic tune that, despite the track’s low fi nature, reflects the
same irrepressible spirit dominating the electric tracks. Their ability to
seamlessly shift gears without ever betraying inconsistency in both sound and
approach is a hallmark of a great band and The Magnifiers show such talent in a
variety of areas that it’s impossible to imagine future releases won’t further
improve on this impressive EP release.